Take Me Back To the Start
by deesse solaire
Summary: Harry needs to find a way to prove his his innocence, and his love for Hermione. On their way to finding each other again, Harry and Hermione learn lessons about life and love.
1. Betrayal and Lonliness

Take Me Back To the Start

**Chapter One: Betrayal and Loneliness**

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. You get it._

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"Get back here, you… you bitch!" Harry's frustration was beginning to show.

Hermione ran harder towards the forest.

"Get away from me! I never want to see you again."  
Harry was gaining on her. "Ok, I didn't mean bitch when I said it. But get back here!"

"NO!" She ran faster, faster, faster… until finally she lost energy completely. The night's events had drained her. She slowed to a walk in front of a tree and began kicking it furiously.

Harry sighed. "Hermione, stop. You're only going to hurt yourself."

She screamed loudly. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HURT ME, YOU SELFISH BASTARD!"

"I didn't mean to!" Harry said, exasperated.

"Oh, right. You didn't mean to exchange saliva with Lavender in front of the entire Gryffindor common room. You didn't even think twice about the fact that my heart might possibly be broken into a million … ARGH!" She began furiously punching the tree again.

Harry closed his eyes, and felt like punching something himself. "Look, I don't know how to explain this, but I swear to you, I wasn't responsible for that."

Hermione looked up and gave Harry a very, very cold stare. "That's bullshit Harry, and you know it. I don't even know why I haven't beaten the shit out of you yet."

"I'll tell you why. Because somewhere in that… umm…" Harry faltered at her death glare. "… gold heart of your's, you know that I'm telling the truth. Please, Hermione. I love you, don't do this to me. Don't hurt me."

"You want to talk about pain? I can't even tell you how I feel right now!" Everything was just replaying in her mind; she couldn't make it go away. "Just leave me alone, Harry. I'm sick of your excuses. I don't need to put myself through this anymore. You're dead to me." She said it as though she was convincing herself. With one last furious kick at the tree (which was quite battered at this point), she stomped away.

Harry watched her walk up to the front doors and nearly bowl over a poor first year on his way to detention. He sighed and thought to himself. _The entire house is going to think I'm some sort of player… Not to mention my best friend. Oh crud… Ron. What's he going to think? God, he's going to kill me._ Harry could hardly believe what he himself knew was true: _I cheated on Hermione. In front of all of Gryffindor, no less. _But Harry had spoken the truth. It was not his doing. This was dark magic, and Harry had no control over it. _Someone cast a spell on me. Someone hexed me, I had no control. But who? _He recounted the night in his head.

It was the night before the Quidditch match before everyone had been talking about. The Gryffindor team was up against Ravenclaw, and rumor had it that their team had greatly improved since last year; that they were a team that could even take down Gryffindor. However, their seeker had recently had a nasty accident, which caused his appendages to play a sort of musical chairs every five minutes. His replacement was known for being awful on the pitch. The entire house was celebrating, some kids had even smuggled in firewhiskey. Harry, after an unfortunate drunken night in his sixth year, was sworn off the stuff for fear he might do something stupid. He was having a great time, laughing with Ron and canoodling with Hermione. After they started going out, they were instantly the school's "power couple." They had been going out for three months, and their relationship was still strong.

The trouble began when Harry got up from his armchair to go get some pumpkin juice. He was surveying the common room when his eyes connected with Lavender Brown's. Suddenly, he felt a spark go through him, like someone had lined his spine with Christmas lights and plugged them in. He started swiftly walking toward her. He could see nothing else, she was his objective. Practically in slow motion, he saw himself reaching for her face, connecting his body to her's. _No, _He thought. _What am I doing? _He tried to control his hands, his lips, but it was too late. Before he knew what was happening, he had fiercely attacked her mouth with his, and she didn't seem to mind.

He knew people were staring, but his brain didn't care. It was only when his eyes connected with Hermione's that he fully realized what he was doing. Something in his brain snapped when he saw the tears in her eyes. He pulled away from Lavender immediately, and she looked confused. Come to think of it, Harry was extremely confused himself. He stood for a moment, trying to get a grip, when he thought, _Run._ He was about to dash for the portrait hole when Hermione got there first. She ran out in a rage and never looked back. Harry, feeling nothing else, ran after her like he was running for his life. _I need you, _he thought. _I'm sorry, you mean everything to me_. But she couldn't hear his thoughts. So she ran on.

Harry came back to real time, and trudged slowly towards the common room. He quickly realized that there would be an imminent blood bath if he was to return, and decidedly turned absently to the right, hoping to find his way to a safe haven. He walked, unthinkingly, until he approached a golden door, and walked inside.

It took Harry a moment to take in his surroundings. An ivy-green shag carpet caressed the floor. The walls were covered in purple tapestries, the floor littered with books and goose-feather pillows. Two gilded hourglasses stood tall in the center of the room. As Harry's curiosity increased, he took a step closer to examine them further. It seemed that the left hourglass was showing people being born, and sapphire crystals floated to the upper chamber every few seconds. The right hourglass, obviously, dropped emeralds to represent another person dying. Harry watched intently for ten minutes, yet the seemingly-enchanted hourglasses never ran out of gems to count.

"Fascinating," Harry breathed. For the first time in hours, he was at peace.

Just taking in the rich sights around him, Harry flopped into a large pile of pillows. He was staring absentmindedly at the ceiling, not really focusing, when he realized that there was a TV screen on the ceiling. Harry was shocked and excited at the same time. _I've never seen a TV at Hogwarts before!_ He thought.

Harry looked around for a remote control, but he found none. The TV, however, like almost everything else in the room, seemed to know how he felt. It was showing Muggle music videos, Harry's favorite guilty pleasure. He grinned at the thought of Ron finding him watching Britney Spears videos. But instead, the TV played mostly lyrically-driven piano ballads. Things like John Legend, Ben Folds, Keane, and the like. Harry was intrigued by the way the words touched his heart. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, when a video from Coldplay came on. It was called "The Scientist." The hair on the back of his neck rose at the sound, the chords just rippled through his body. But the words touched him most.

"_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry  
You don't know how lovely you are_

_I had to find you  
Tell you I need you  
Tell you I set you apart _

Tell me your secrets  
And ask me your questions  
Oh let's go back to the start"

The lyrics really hit home for Harry, and he got up with purpose and walked to the other side of the room. While trying to organize his thoughts, he tripped over something rather large and fell on his face. Luckily, the shag carpet somewhat broke his fall, if not only managing to fill his mouth with green fuzz. He turned around to see what had tripped him, and saw a very large book. He stood up to get a better look at it. It was very plain-looking. Harry picked it up (with great effort) and searched the brown binding for a title, but found none. Once again, his curiosity beat out his common sense (saying, "THAT'S PROBABLY DARK MAGIC," no doubt), and opened the front cover.

It was not, in fact, dark magic, as far as Harry could see. Actually, it seemed to a fairy tale book. It was much like any other story that started with "Once Upon a Time…" A damsel in distress, a knight in shining armor, a dangerous sorcerer, you know the drill. But it was such a relief for Harry to get lost in a silly story. For hours he sat and read, cleansing his mind.

When he had finished the rather lengthy tale, he began to cry. Not for the princess, not for the dead sorcerer, but for himself. _What will I do? _He wondered. _Can I try to apologize? Will it do me any good? I just wish I could escape. From everything._ Harry sighed, and wiped away his tears. He had learned long ago that some things cannot be changed, and that it's not worth the tears. He knew what he had to do: He had to go back, and face his past. His future. And his present.

…………….

Hermione stormed into the common room. Everyone looked up. Some of them had looks of pity, others were sneering. But Hermione returned every glance with a look that said _I dare you to speak._ Not surprisingly, no one did.

She was doing an excellent job of being angry and defensive until she caught sight of Ron, sitting in one of the two comfy chairs next to the fire, saving the other for her. She just fully appreciated the multitude of his loyalty, and the impact of Harry's betrayal, and broke down. She threw herself into the plush cushions of the chair and cried short, gasping breaths.

"Hermione, don't…" Ron started. "Don't cry; I'm here. Please, don't cry." It was very difficult for Ron, knowing that there was nothing he could say.

She almost laughed. "Is that all you can say?" She said bitterly, through tears. _It's not his fault, _Her better judgment said. _He's doing the best he can._ Hermione rethought her words. "No, I'm sorry. Thank you for being here for me." She tried her hardest not to, but again she began to cry.

Ron began to rub her back, using soothing words. A few minutes later, Harry entered the common room. At that time, many had already gone to bed. Ron looked up and saw Harry, who gave him a questioning glance, nodding towards Hermione. Ron gave him a look. Harry signaled for the boy's dormitory. (Hermione had not yet noticed Harry's arrival; he wanted to keep it that way.)

Ron whispered something to Hermione and walked with Harry to their rooms. When they got there, neither had anything to say. Harry was ashamed, and Ron was confused and angry.

Harry began to speak. "Look, Ron, this must be hard for you…"

"Yeah, actually it kind of is, Harry," he began. "I mean, what am I supposed to do? You're my best mate, but how can I stand up for you when poor Hermione is falling to pieces? You messed up bad. And now I'm paying for it." Ron chided himself inwardly; he hadn't meant to say all of that. He didn't want Harry to feel worse than he, Ron was sure, already did.

Harry couldn't take much more of this. "Listen, I know what I did was wrong, but it wasn't my fault. Please, Ron, you have to believe me."

"What, am I supposed to believe that you were hexed or something?"

"Well… yes," Harry admitted.

Ron shook his head. "How can I believe you? How do I know that you're not lying? I mean, it doesn't exactly make sense. Why would someone hex you to make out with Lavender?"

"I don't know either," Harry said. "But you have to believe me."

"Harry, I'm sorry, but I can't," Ron confessed. "Until you can prove this to me, I don't know if I can trust you. I'm sorry, but Hermione needs me." And with that, Ron left the dormitory to comfort Hermione.

Harry paced a few times around the room before he flopped down on his four-poster bed. Too many thoughts raced through his head, too much anguish. He felt like someone had knocked him over the head with a bludger. He didn't know what to think, but he knew one thing for sure: He wanted answers. _What I really need is some sleep_, he thought. And that's what he did.

…………….

Hermione, however, could do no such thing. After three hours of tossing and turning in her bed, she finally resolved to go down and sit in front of the fire. There was no one else in the common room, so she felt no insecurity in openly weeping. At first she had thought that all of her tears had been used up, but there still seemed to be more inside of her.

"Why am I crying?" She said, to no one in particular. "It's not like I actually care about that selfish… oh, who am I kidding. Of course I care about him! Hell, I love him! I wish I didn't. How could he do this to me?"

This was followed by similar rambling. She conjured up a cup of tea for herself, and felt much better after letting her feelings out in words. For a little while she sat and sipped her tea, dreaming of a fantasy world where Harry never kissed Lavender, and he had eyes for her alone. A fantasy world where he could somehow prove to Hermione that he was innocent. That was what she wanted most of all: a way to believe him. God, she wanted so badly to believe him. Then things could go back to normal. But she couldn't block out the notion that he was using magic as an excuse for cheating on her.

She sighed and stood up to walk back to the girl's dormitories. She opened the door to her room, and tried to be silent as to not awake her room mates. She was about to dive into the bedding of her four-poster when she caught sight of snowflakes falling outside the window. In somewhat of a trance, she walked over to the window and watched the never-ending barrage of snowflakes fall to the ground. Somehow, they told her that everything would be alright. No matter what will happen, they told her it would all be ok. And she believed them. Somehow, she found her way back to her bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

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AN- Ok… finally a new story. I've never done a HP fic before, so please excuse me if it sucks horribly. (I so hope it doesn't.) Next chapter will probably pertain to dealing with the gossip, not to mention Lavender. (Haha… that's got catfight written all over it.) Please review, it means a lot to me, and as you may see with my other story, when the reviews stop, I stop.


	2. Catfights and Confusion

Take Me Back To the Start

**Chapter 2: Catfights and Confusion**

_Disclaimer: C'mon, I'm in high school. I own nothing but the clothes on my back._

P.S. I am the author here, so I will take the artistic liberty of perhaps tweaking little facts about the book. For instance, I am having the group take Divination in their seventh year. They probably won't, but I will because it makes the story easier to write. And the moon probably does not stand for despair, but now it does because I SAID SO. Just FYI.

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**Reviews**

Butterflygal123- THANKS A MILLION! Here you go.

Frida Vaccari: Hey, stop reading my mind!

Lili-potter8907- Mwahaha… you'll see.

Mysteriouscharm- Thank you so much, it means a lot to me. I'll do my best for the rest!

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The next morning, Hermione awoke with a pounding headache. _Great,_ She thought. _Well, at least it's Saturday. _She dragged herself out of bed and took a quick shower. It was then, when she was rinsing the shampoo out of her hair when she realized that today was the Quidditch match. _I'll have to remember to put that spell on Harry's glasses again… HARRY!_ It was then that it all came back to her. She remembered last night, and she realized what she would have to face in the Great Hall. But she didn't cry. _I'm through with crying for him,_ She thought bitterly.

She put on her clothes quickly, and walked down to the common room. She saw Lavender Brown giggling with her friends and Hermione immediately gave her a glare that could burn through a wall. Lavender replied with a similar look and stuck her tongue out.

At that moment, Ron was coming from the boy's dormitory and saw the whole thing.

"Oh, she'll be paying for that one," he said in a sing-song voice.

Hermione nodded gravely. "Yes she will."

…………….

Harry could not believe his eyes. He had been awake for hours, sitting in a chair by the window. No one really noticed he was there. He had seen that look in Hermione's eyes; she wanted revenge. _This isn't going to be good_, Harry thought.

Harry decided to get up when most people had gone to breakfast. He decided that the later he left, the less he would have to talk to people. However, his plan was unfortunately thwarted by Lavender.

"Oh, Harry! There you are! I was hoping to walk to breakfast with you. You know I just had a marvelous time at the party last night, it was a shame you left so early!" She squealed. Harry tried not to barf.

"Erm, look Lavender. It's nothing personal or anything, but…" he started.

"It's ok if you don't want to have breakfast with me, Harry, I understand. But I'll be watching you at Quidditch, ok? See you later, Harry!" And with that, she skipped off.

"Ugh…" Harry groaned. _Now what do I do?_ He ran his hand through his hair and was deep in thought until his stomach reminded him that it was 8:00, and he had a big match coming up that he should prepare for. So he went down to breakfast.

…………….

Hermione made a sour face. "Doesn't this pumpkin juice taste rancid to you?"

Ron sighed. "Herm, don't you think you're being a bit negative this morning?"

She was about to snap back an indignant remark when Neville came up behind her.

"Hermione, I just wanted you to know that I'm awfully sorry about what Harry did to you. It wasn't right, and you deserve better," He stated with finality. "I also wanted you to know that if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you."

Hermione's heart softened. (Not too much though.) "Oh, Neville, that's so sweet of you! Thanks very much, I always knew you were a good friend." She smiled at him, and he nodded and walked back to his seat at the other side of the table.

"Well, that was easy," Ron said with a look of relief on his face. "At least he can put you in a better mood."

"Ron, I'm sorry. Really I am. But you're honestly just going to have to deal with me," Hermione said apologetically.

He smiled. "You're right. It's a good thing you're my best friend." She beamed at him, and asked if he could pass the toast.

Ron and Hermione were really close, but Ron didn't like her like everyone thought he did. They were the best of friends, but nothing more. They cared about each other, and that's all they needed.

…………….

Harry tried to get into the Great Hall as quietly as possible, that is, causing the smallest amount of commotion possible. It worked until he had to sit down. He knew he couldn't sit with Ron and Hermione, but the only other place was by the end of the table with all of the first-years. He stood contemplating for only a moment, but it was enough for people to notice him. Soon people were whispering to each other, and the entire room turned to face Harry, and it became deathly silent. But the silence spoke multitudes.

Harry made his way to the end of table with as little eye contact as he could manage. He stiffly took a seat next to a rather frightened-looking first year. He was about to dig in, when he saw Lavender, at the other end of the table with the other seventh years, motion for him to come sit with her. _Well, it's much better than sitting with these first years_, he thought. He got up to go sit with her, pretending to be happy about it.

But that was a big mistake; soon the entire Gryffindor table was gaping at him. Once Harry had sat down, he realized that they must all think that he and Lavender were going out now. _Now Hermione's going to feel even worse_, he worried. _I really need to talk to her_. For the next few minutes, Harry sat there in turmoil, feeling like horse poo.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so glad you decided to join me! It's really too bad that you had to leave last night. Did I already say that? Oh, well," Lavender said in an annoyingly high-pitched voice. "You know, I was thinking, maybe we should buy matching socks! Wouldn't that be absolutely adorable?"

He was about to stick his head in his oatmeal when Ginny took a seat next to him.

"Hey, Harry," she said sociably.

He looked at her with a questioning look. "Um… Hi, Ginny. Why are you…?" He trailed off. "I mean, it's just that everyone else…"

"Look, Harry," she stated. "Just because everyone else is treating you like some sort of deathly disease doesn't mean they're right for doing so. And besides, I believe that you were hexed. So does Luna!"

Almost on cue, Luna Lovegood came and sat across from the pair.

"Hello, Harry," she said in a light voice.

_Great, _Harry thought. _Now my best friends are sixth-years…_ "Hey, Luna. It's really nice of you guys to eat with me."

"Sure thing," Ginny said with a smile. And they dug in. For most of the meal, Harry managed to avoid too much conversation with Lavender by replying with "Uh-huh" every few seconds. But Harry knew this couldn't last long; he'd soon have to talk to Lavender and Hermione too.

……………

Hermione heard that Gryffindor had won the Quidditch match. She didn't really feel like going. Instead she stayed in the common room and played wizard chess and drank hot cocoa with Ron.

…………….

The next day, Harry was still sitting with Luna and Ginny, but he found that he really didn't mind too much.

"Uck," Harry said through a mouthful of eggs. "I have Divination first today."

"Don't worry, Harry," Luna started. "At least you have Divination with your frien… nn… never mind." Harry sighed. Luna was right. He knew he'd just have to suck it up and deal.

…………….

Ron sighed as he climbed through the trapdoor to Divination class. "You know, I'm really starting to dread this class. I'm awful at it."

"I agree," Hermione said. "It's irritating; I'm not a bad student, I just think that Divination is a silly subject. That's why my grades are so bad."

"Um, Hermione, you got an E on your O.W.L.S. for Divination," Ron said, confused.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, yes, but I could've gotten an O if it was such a stupid subject. I mean, it isn't as if we'll actually use anything we learn in this class in the future." She climbed up after Ron and stumbled on her way into the room. Lavender, who was huddled around Professor Trelawney with her friends, snickered at Hermione and turned back to her friends. Hermione thought she had just about had it with Lavender, but Hermione knew not to make the first move. _I'm the bigger man,_ she thought. _Or girl… oh bugger. _

She and Ron walked toward their usual spot in the back corner of the room. Hermione had momentarily forgotten that Harry had been omitted from their group, and felt a pang of remorse when she saw the vacant pillow next to her. She sighed and told herself to focus. A few minutes later, she was very involved in what Professor Trelawney was telling them to do, when Hermione let her eyes wander around the room. She spotted Harry and watched him inspect his teacup. She felt herself melt inside, he was so beautiful. She hardly realized that she was zoning when Harry suddenly looked up, and they locked eyes. At first Hermione was savoring the moment, but then she realized the situation and promptly turned back to her own teacup.

Ron, as usual, was struggling, but Hermione paid no attention. She was quite content being the star, actually. (Not surprisingly.)

Hermione was recording her observations when Professor Trelawney came over and started hovering over her shoulder.

"…Yes?" Hermione said in an agitated voice.

Professor Trelawney looked taken aback and said, "Well, Miss Granger, I was just looking over your work. Is that all you see in your teacup?"

"Yes," said Hermione, without looking in her teacup to be sure.

"Well, you should know my dear, that you have failed to notice the most prominent symbol in the leaves," the professor said mystically. Hermione rolled her eyes. "It is the moon, symbol of despair."

Hermione was at wit's end. "Look, Professor, these stupid tea leaves mean nothing! You might as well be reading a teacup filled with feathers."

Needless to say, Professor Trelawney was quite shocked. The entire class looked as teacher and student engaged in a staring contest. Some students looked happy that someone had finally knocked some sense into the old bat. Some, however, were not as happy. Like Lavender, who jumped out of hair and started shouting.

"_How dare you speak to a professor that way_? Have you no respect and dignity?" Lavender screeched. Hermione thought she saw Harry roll his eyes, but she couldn't be sure. Hermione was too busy telling Lavender off.

Hermione gave Lavender a steely look before firing a comeback. "How can you speak of respect and dignity, you little whore?"

Lavender scoffed. "Oh, that's original."

"So you steal people's boyfriends quite, often then?" Hermione said with mock-curiosity.

"Hey, your's seemed pretty willing!" And that was the last straw for Hermione. She started at Lavender with a fire in her eyes.

Most students were now out of their chairs to get a good view of what they knew would be a good catfight. Hermione saw Harry with his head in his hands, clearly wishing he was invisible. Professor Trelawney, who for the last few minutes seemed immobile, quickly got herself together and tried to separate the now-fighting girls.

They were, however, broken apart by the sound of someone's voice.

"Enough," Professor Dumbledore said sternly. "Miss Granger, Miss Brown, my office now. The rest of you, please continue with your class. Sorry for the interruption. Sybil, please continue your lesson with the exception of two students. Have a nice day." And with that Dumbledore turned on his foot and motioned for the two still-fuming girls to follow him.

…………….

"Miss Brown, please follow me into my office," Dumbledore said. "And Miss Granger, you wait in the hallway." He leaned closer. "Remember, if you try to run away, I will be watching you." Then he ushered Lavender into the room and closed the door with a wink.

Hermione sighed. She realized that Dumbledore had just eliminated her last chance to escape. Now she had no choice but to face punishment for what she had done. She thought for a moment… _But it felt soo good,_ she thought. She smiled to herself. _Harry wouldn't know me at all_.

Just then, Draco Malfoy sauntered down the corridor, looking surly and hurt.

In a bold mood, she spoke out. "Hey, Malfoy, what's eating you?" She asked in a taunting voice.

He threw her a cold stare. "Why don't you just mind your own business, Hermione," he said quietly. As he walked down the hallway, Hermione looked after him and immediately felt awful for saying what she did. Still, it was quite unnerving, and un-Malfoy-ish, to call her by her first name. _Something must really be bothering him_, she thought to herself. She was about to yell an apology when Dumbledore and Lavender emerged from the office. Lavender was looking quite sour.

Dumbledore gestured to his office door. "Please come in, Miss Granger."

Hermione took a seat in the padded chair across from Dumbledore's desk. She nervously picked up a shiny silver object off of his desk, just so she could do something with her hands.

"Now, Miss Granger," Dumbledore started. "I understand that you're going through a difficult time right now, but that's no reason-"

Hermione dropped the silvery object. "S-sorry professor. Keep going."

Dumbledore smiled. "Anyhow, I'm aware that you're going through a hard time. And I understand your inner need to battle Lavender Brown. But Divination class is neither the time nor the place."

"Sir, I don't think I understand," Hermione began.

"Well, it's simple. I saw what happened."

Hermione's mouth hung open. "But… how? When? What did you see?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I don't like to be nosy, but I couldn't help but see what happened the night before the Quidditch match. I hope it doesn't embarrass you. As for how… well a sorcerer never reveals his resources," he said with a crinkly smile.

Hermione sighed. "Well that's frightening. So what is my punishment?"

"Even though I think your actions were justified," Dumbledore began. "I still must punish you. You will report to the greenhouses to help Professor Sprout repot plants every other weeknight until the Christmas holiday."

She groaned. It was only mid-November. "I understand, sir. Thank you."

"Have a nice day, Miss Granger. I will alert your next teacher that you will be tardy," Dumbledore said. Hermione was just turning to leave when he added, "Oh, and Hermione? If you ever happen to come across Lavender in an empty hallway, I wouldn't mind if you did ruffle her up a bit."

Hermione grinned widely as she left the room.

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AN: Ok, here ya go. I don't know, maybe Dumbledore was a bit OOC, but it was worth a try, huh? I'm leaving for vacation in 2 days… sniffle. Hopefully I'll have a lot of reviews when I come back… wink, wink Oh and this chappie is dedicated 2 juka. I lubb you and I'll miss you, girl! 3 


	3. New Obstacles

Take Me Back To the Start

**Chapter 3: New Obstacles**

_Disclaimer: Regrettably I own nothing._

P.S. Just so you know, this chapter contains a lot of POV changes. It's a different format from the usual, but you guys can handle it. Also, my girly side comes out a bit towards the end. Hang in there, boys. Much love- **_cm_**

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**Reviews**

Mysteriouscharm- oh good, I wasn't sure if the Dumbledore thing was good or not.

Rodrigo- Thank you so much. Seriously, I'm flattered.

Griffendorgirl- thanks! Here's a chap for ya.

Almost anonomys- ditto!

Lili-potter8907- haha sorry about the wait, I was in North Carolina. Glad you liked it!

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_Damn I hate Tuesdays, _Harry thought to himself. He had potions right after breakfast. For the most part, Harry had been getting along alright. Just as long as he didn't run into Ron, Hermione or Lavender. He tried going to his classes with his invisibility cloak, but he couldn't help bumping into other students sometimes, and it caused a bit of an uproar when and unseen shoulder accidentally rams into an unsuspecting third-year. So he put that method to rest.

Harry hung out with Ginny and Luna for the most part, which started to annoy him less and less every day. He found that, in spite of himself, he liked their company. Especially Luna, who Harry discovered had a knack for imitating voices. Her impression of Hagrid always made Harry smile.

It was hard for Harry, because some people were quite rude to him for what they thought he had done. But the most surprising for Harry was that Neville had stopped talking to Harry, even though they were great friends before. It perplexed Harry.

"See ya at lunch, Harry," Ginny called after Harry as he absently walked toward the dungeons. He waved in reply. "Good luck at potions!"

_Yeah, right, _he thought to himself.

…………….

"Hey, Herm, I think I did it!" Ron cried triumphantly.

Hermione was stirring her cauldron with great fervor, keeping her eyes down. _I must not look at Harry,_ she told herself.

Ron looked at Hermione quizzically. "Uh… Hermione?"

Hermione snapped back to reality and leaned over to look into Ron's cauldron. "Wow, Ron, that's great," she said with a half smile. He had for once managed to complete a potion perfectly, but she failed to notice.

"Miss Granger," Snape began coldly. "The instructions say to stir for four minutes. I do believe that you've been stirring away for about fourteen by now. Try and focus, Granger. Five points from Gryffindor." Hermione sighed and reached for her next ingredient.

Though she willed herself not to, she somehow managed to allow herself to look at Harry who was grimly trying to cut something up for his potion. Hermione slumped in her chair. _I wish I could read his mind,_ she thought.

Grudgingly, Hermione finished her potion with half the dedication as usual. On her way out of the classroom, she saw Malfoy gathering his books. Struck by a sudden impulse, she strode up to him. When he turned to walk away, she followed.

"Hey, Malfoy," she started. "I just wanted to say sorry for what I said in the hallway the other day. It was stupid."

Malfoy stopped without turning around. He turned his head a bit. "Thanks, Hermione. You don't have to call me by my last name, you know. Now leave me alone." And he promptly walked away while Hermione stood there puzzling.

Ron came up behind her. "Hey, Herm, ready for Herbology?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm coming," she said as she gathered her books.

As they approached the greenhouses, Hermione groaned at the frost on the glass panes. "Just think, in a few hours, I'll be here potting plants," she said grimly.

"Yeah, but at least you'll have some alone time," Ron said with a shrug. "You know, time to think about stuff."

Hermione cocked her head to the side. "You're right, you know. I could use some alone time."

…………….

Harry was tending to an overgrown weed when Lavender came up behind him. Not surprisingly, she began talking immediately. Harry rolled his eyes inwardly.

"So, Harry, I was thinking, maybe we should become official. You know, boyfriend girlfriend?" At that, Harry froze. _Now, now,_ his mind said. _Tell her now._

"Erhm, Lavender…" Harry began. "I've been thinking, and I don't really think that- well, it's just that I- well, to make a long story short- I don't want to go out with you. And I'm sorry but I don't like you." Harry took a deep breath. He actually did it.

Lavender was less than excited. She looked almost like she was in shock. "B-but… if you don't like me… I don't understand. Why did you k-kiss me?" She whimpered, holding back tears.

Harry sighed. "Well, you must've heard it going around. I was hexed. I'm sorry, but I never meant to kiss you."

"Oh, that's so s-stupid! I c-can't believe I'm hearing this! That's total crap, Harry P-potter!" Lavender broke down. Most of the Herbology class turned around to look.

Professor Sprout bustled over and sent Lavender to the hospital wing with Pavarti when no one could calm her down. Harry felt awful. It made him feel worse when Hermione and Ron, his two best friends, just looked at Harry and never said a word. Almost everyone was looking at him, and behind everyone's eyes, all fingers were pointed at Harry.

…………….

"Poor Harry," Hermione said softly. She couldn't believe she was feeling pity for him.

Ron scoffed. "Please don't tell me you actually feel bad for that scum."

"Ron, come on. He's your best friend."

"Correction, he _was_ my best friend."

Realizing she was on a testy topic, Hermione changed the subject.

"So do you know why Malfoy's been acting weird lately?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, please," Ron said. "Don't tell me you haven't heard."

Hermione looked confused, so Ron went on.

"Well, I heard that Malfoy was on his way to give Pansy a card for their Anniversary, and he caught her snogging with Blaise."

Hermione practically gasped. "That's unbelievable! Wow." She looked over her shoulder to where Draco was working. _I wish I had known_, she thought to herself.

…………….

Hermione was upstairs in her room, trying to decide whether to wear the hooded sweatshirt or cable-knit sweater.

Just then, Ginny walked in. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked as she flopped onto her bed.

"Nothing," Hermione answered minimally. Ginny and Harry's friendship didn't bother Hermione much. "Well, I could use some help. Which should I wear?" she asked, holding up the two tops.

"That depends on where you're going."

Hermione sighed, remembering you can never get a straight answer out of Ginny. "I'm going to detention in the greenhouses."

Ginny gasped. "No way! I never thought you'd be going to detention. What for?"

Hermione smiled. "Hitting Lavender."

"Oh, well, at least it's for a good cause," Ginny said cheerfully. "I would go with the hoodie, you'll probably be working with dirt, and it would be a pain to get dirt out of the sweater."

Hermione thought for a moment. "That sounds sensible, but I still want to look good."

Ginny sighed and dug her hand into her purse. "Here," she said, handing Hermione a clear container. "It's clear mascara. It's not dramatic, but it's noticeable."

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione said with a smile. Within a few minutes, Hermione was off.

As Hermione approached the greenhouses, she saw Professor Sprout outside covering plants to protect them from frost. When she heard Hermione come up behind her, the professor turned around.

"Ah, Miss Granger! So good to see you," she began cheerfully. "Glad to see you bundled up, it's a bit chilly tonight. Here's a list of things you can do with your two hours tonight," Professor Sprout said while handing Hermione a piece of paper. "Mr. Malfoy is inside, he already started work on clipping the bushes."

At this, Hermione froze. "Did you say Malfoy?"

"Why, yes, dear," the professor said. "He has detention the same schedule as you. Now do a nice job, I'll be in the castle if you need me." And with that, Professor Sprout was gone.

Draco Malfoy. There was no telling what kind of ridicule she'd endure. Hermione faced her detention with new fear. _This detention might not only stain my reputation_, Hermione thought grimly, _it might also stain my dignity._

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A/N- New chap. Not much going on really, but it certainly sets up new things on the horizon. Sorry about the whole hooded sweatshirt vs. cable-knit sweater thing, I can't help it if I'm fashionable. Please keep reviewing, it means a lot. Great things to come in this story. Always- **_cm_**


	4. Searching For a Niche

Take Me Back To the Start

**Chapter 4: Searching For a Niche **

_Disclaimer: I get sick of writing these disclaimers sometimes. You know maybe I'll just be like, heck yes I own everything. Then I'd probably get kicked off the site, seeing as how I certainly do not own anything. Ok, sorry. I'll just get it over with. I don't own anything._

P.S. Things in this chap that are in -hyphins-are just my little comments. Because I know you all love my little comments. Heart -**_cm_**

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**Reviews**

Mysteriouscharm- haha, you're so right. Thanks for being a faithful reviewer; it means a lot to me.

Adrilily- oh, I'd never tell… sly grin

Juka- god, finally. I'm just glad you reviewed. Hope you like this one, love ya see you at school.

lili-potter8907- well, I'm the writer, and I'm set in my ways. You'll see, just promise me you'll read through till the end.

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Hermione couldn't believe it. The entire detention, Draco had only said about six words, those being "could you pass the garden shears?" She could hardly believe that she had been with Draco for over and hour and still he had yet to insult her or mock her. It was so uncharacteristic of him. And eventually it got to her. 

"Malf- I mean, Draco," she began. She meant to ask him about Pansy, but then she found that she didn't know how to put into words what she wanted to ask without hurting his feelings. "Well, I was just wondering… I mean, it must really be awful for you, but are you ok?"

Draco half-smiled. "You don't have to pity me, Hermione. I get enough of that already. It's just hard knowing what she did, and how I wish I could just forget it ever happened and we could go back to the way we were." Hermione was taken aback at how he had just put into words how she had been feeling for the last week and a half.

"Yeah, I guess I sort of know what you mean."

"Oh, yeah, I kind of forgot about you and Harry. Did he ever try to make it up to you?" Draco asked. Rather invasively in Hermione's mind, but deep down she really sort of wanted to talk about it.

She sighed. "Well, you know, he tried to convince me that he was hexed, and that he wasn't responsible. But he's got to be lying."

Draco shrugged. "At least he tries to explain himself. Pansy didn't even deny what she did. Ever considered taking him seriously?"

"What, you mean believing that crap?" Hermione scoffed. "I'm not a fool."

"Yeah, but he's giving you a chance to try again. Which is what you want, isn't it? I mean, yeah, he messed up, but I think I might believe him if I was in your position. I don't like him much, but I think Harry's got his morals in order. I don't think he would just randomly kiss some other girl." Draco reasoned.

_When did Draco become so insightful?_ Hermione wondered. She felt odd being the ignorant one. She shrugged and changed the subject, while repotting something rather purple-y looking. -Sorry but I don't know of many magical plants, so please excuse my lack of greenhouse knowledge.-

"So why are you here in detention?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Draco admitted. "Guess why I'm here."

Hermione thought. "Did you curse Blaise or something?"

Draco laughed bitterly. "How did you know?"

"Because I did pretty much the same thing," she said, blushing. "What did you use on him?"

"I don't really know," Draco said thoughtfully. "I just remember being so angry that I just kind of pointed my wand and yelled something. Whatever I did, it worked. He was in the hospital wing for a few days." -Sorry for this Draco OOCness, now and in the future.-

"Wow," Hermione said softly. "Why do you think you reacted so strongly?"

His face was dead straight. He said in a strong voice, "She called him Blaisey-Poo."

Hermione looked up at Draco, who looked back. And Hermione just couldn't take it; she started to laugh and couldn't stop.

The sides of his mouth twitched. "I don't see what's so funny," Draco said, but in spite of himself, he was laughing moments later. He hadn't laughed in a long time.

_What is going on?_ Hermione thought. _Am I in some alternate universe where Draco is suddenly nice to me? I could get used to this._

By the end of the night, Hermione and Draco realized that they had just struck up an unusual friendship. Something they both really needed.

……………

Ron was attempting at his potions homework when Hermione came back. It seemed that even though he had managed to make a perfect potion that morning, he wasn't quite as gifted in the essay department.

"Hey, you're back!" He cried, glad to have a distraction. "How'd it go?"

Hermione was beaming. "Excellent! You know, I think that Draco's really changed or something, because-"

Ron stopped her. "Wait, hang on there. Did you just say Malfoy was there? And did you just call him _Draco?_"

"Well, you see, he said I could just call him by his first name now," Hermione said plainly. "I don't know exactly how, but we're friends now. He was in detention for cursing Blaise."

"Oh, ok then," Ron said thoughtfully, still not really understanding what was going on. "So how many times did you call you a mudblood?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I told you, we're friends. He hasn't called me anything in a few days. You know, he's kind of smart sometimes, when he's not busy being a git. I mean, he knows things."

"Yeah, right, Herm," Ron said. "Don't forget all the things he's done to us over the years. He's still Malfoy."

"Oh, Ron, don't be so simpleminded," Hermione said huffily. "Now let's see if we can finish this potions homework."

…………….

In the Slytherin Common Room, a similar scene was happening.

"Draco!" Crabbe exclaimed. "How was your detention? Would you like a cookie?" He asked shoving a plate of cookies in Draco's face.

"It was fine," Draco said minimally. "Hermione was there."

Goyle looked up from his large helping of cookies. "That Granger girl? I wonder why. She's such a suck up, it's a wonder she's in detention," he said with a hearty laugh. Crabbe soon joined in. Draco just watched them.

When Crabbe noticed that Draco wasn't smiling, he spoke up. "Malfoy, why aren't you laughing? Come on, you always used to call her a mudblood."

"Yeah, you're right," Draco said bitterly. "I did." Draco felt bad for the things he had said to her in the past. "I'm tired. Good night." And with that Draco walked up to his room, where he didn't sleep a wink.

…………….

The next afternoon, after charms, Harry was greeted with a pleasant surprise.

"Wow, perfect marks on a quiz!" Ginny said enthusiastically when Harry showed her his latest test score. "That's great!"

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I think having less friends has actually helped me. Now I can study without interruptions." Ginny smiled. The two of them and Luna were in the library, their favorite hangout lately. They rarely ran into other people in the agriculture section of the library.

Luna was actually reading the Quibbler at that moment, as usual. -Yes, I know Luna is always reading the Quibbler, but I can't very well have her listening to her iPod, now can I?- She was studying something very closely, and when Harry peered over her shoulder, all he could see was a patterned blue piece of paper.

"Um, Luna, what're you looking at?" He inquired.

She looked up at him. "It's an optical illusion. You bring it very close to your face, and then slowly bring it away, and you can see an image in the patterns. My dad found it, it's a Muggle thing. He thinks it's brilliant."

"Here, let me try." Harry tried doing what Luna told him to do, but after three tries, he began to get frustrated. He angrily began pulling the paper towards his face then away, while moving his head back and forth.

"Erm, Harry," Ginny said. "You look like a chicken."

He frowned at her and shoved the paper back to Luna. He glanced at his schedule.

"Gotta go, guys, I've got Divination. See you at dinner!"

…………….

"… and let's just hope that this lesson ends not like the last," Professor Trelawney said bitterly after giving directions. Ron and Hermione smiled to each other. The fight that Hermione and Lavender had became somewhat of a legend in the Hogwarts corridors. Everyone assumed that Hermione had won, but technically, Dumbledore had broken up the fight before anyone could win. Hermione, however, was content, and decided not to set the record straight.

Ron was very happy. He wanted the very best for Hermione. It seemed that late events had given her a chance to stop thinking about Harry, and that's just what she needed. Ron was dreading the time when he himself would confront Harry, for he knew the time had to come. _I wish we could be friends again,_ he thought. _But what he did was wrong_.

Hermione was in such an odd mood. When Professor Trelawney corrected her tea readings and said that there was something good coming in her future, Hermione actually got excited, as if she believed it. Ron was slightly freaked out, needless to say.

_I can't help but hope that it's true_, Hermione thought to herself. _Hopefully it has something to do with Harry_, she thought as she snuck a look at him.

As Hermione surveyed the room, she caught sight of Lavender, who was looking sadly at Harry and talking to her friends, who didn't really seem to be listening. Hermione felt a fire somewhere in her stomach. She didn't want Lavender to be pining after Harry. _Well, he isn't really my property or anything,_ Hermione thought. _But he's more mine than her's!_ She knew how immature she sounded, but the urge to kill Lavender Brown was getting harder and harder to resist.

On the other side of the room, Harry was busy with his work. Even though he was feeling better since he started hanging out with Ginny and Luna, he still really missed Ron and Hermione. Ron was his best friend, and all of the sudden, Ron wouldn't speak to him. Harry would try to smile at Ron in the halls, but Ron always would ignore Harry. And Hermione was basically the same story. _I love her so much, I just wish I could prove myself to her,_ Harry thought.

Soon the class was over. Ron and Hermione were discussing the Divination homework when Neville came up behind them.

"Uh, Hermione?" Neville asked hesitantly. "Can I talk to you?" Hermione nodded. "Uhh… alone?" he said.

"Oh, sure. You don't mind, right Ron?" Hermione asked.

Ron shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me."

Hermione and Neville walked to another corner of the room. "So, what it is you want to talk about, Neville?"

"Well, I was just wondering how you were doing," Neville said. Hermione was touched.

"I'm doing great, Neville, thanks for asking," she answered with a smile.

Neville blushed. "Well, that's good! Because I was kinda meaning to ask you… um, well, that is to say…" Hermione looked at him quizzically. "Well, I really like you, and I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime," Neville said letting out a deep breath.

Hermione was taken aback. "Um… wow, I really don't know," she said hesitantly. _Wow, that came from out of nowhere…_Hermione thought to herself. To be completely honest, Hermione did not want to go out with Neville. For a few reasons: 1, she really wasn't ready to be "going out" again. She had had enough of the social scrutiny. 2, Neville was her friend. And now, no matter what she said, things would always be weird from then on. (Besides the fact that she could do so much better than Neville.) But at the same time, Hermione found herself thinking that if she went out with Neville, then she could get over Harry more easily. Something she wanted very badly.

Neville looked as though he was waiting, so Hermione said, "Neville, would you mind giving a little bit of time to think about it? I'm sorry; I just need to think about it. This is just so… so sudden."

Neville blushed. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'll wait. Well, um, see you later, Hermione." He quickly dashed out of the Divination room.

Ron came up behind Hermione. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"Uh, let's go to the common room. It's a long story."

…………….

"Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me… Neville asked you out?" Ron asked incredulously.

"In short… yeah," Hermione answered. Both were shocked.

"Well," Ron said with a shrug. "I guess I'm most surprised that he even had the guts. He must really like you."

"I can't believe he liked me to begin with!" Hermione exclaimed. "Now I just have to figure out what to say to him. I don't want to hurt his feelings if I say no, but if I say yes, then I might not be happy."

Ron shook his head. "No, Hermione, you know well that you wouldn't just say 'yes' to humor him, you want to get over Harry." Hermione turned bright red. _Damn his intuition…_

"Well, so what? You'd want help, too, damnit!" She practically yelled.

"Shh, Hermione, I'm sorry. Quiet," Ron said looking around the common room. It seemed that only a few fifth-years were disturbed. "I'll give you some advice. Just listen to yourself. You know what's right, you know what you want. Deduct from each; see which you put more value in. There you'll find your answer." Then Ron got up and walked to the Boy's dormitories, leaving Hermione to wonder what she would say to Neville, and how Ron had learned to speak so eloquently.

* * *

A/N: There you have it. I realized that last chapter was really short, so I decided to work extra hard on this one. I was gonna make a cliffhanger and stop the chap right after Neville asked her out, but then I changed my mind. I know that last line wasn't very Ron-like, but it's basically what I think Hermione would need to hear in the situation, and there was no one else to say it. Please review, it keeps me going. Much Love -**_cm_**


	5. Such Great Heights

Take Me Back To the Start

**Chapter 5: Such Great Heights**

_Disclaimer: Take a wild guess… I own nothing._

P.S. I only had thee reviews for chapter four! This does not make a writer happy. I am seeing about 1037 hits for my story, but only three reviews? sobs PLEASE REVIEW, it makes me happy. (and you do want to keep me happy.) Also something happens in this chapter that some of you don't want to happen. But please promise me you'll keep reading, I'll work it out in the ending. I've got a great ending planned for my readers. Peace - **_cm_**

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**Reviews**

Sinister Deception – Well if it isn't the ever-evasive Mythra! Missed ya. Lol… maybe the reason you don't like Hermione is because everyone always describes her as an exotic beauty, which she isn't. I mean, everyone is constantly talking about her like she's Audrey Hepburn. Which she isn't. I don't know about you, but that kinda annoys me.

Mysteriouscharm – haha I know… but I needed something.

Gryffindorprincess11 – Thanks, keep reading!

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Hermione had made up her mind. She couldn't let Neville just hang there any longer. It had been a few days since he had first asked her out, and if she'd given him a dollar for every time he stole a sideways glance at her in classes, he'd be a millionaire.

She approached him after History of Magic.

"Uh, hey Neville," she said nervously. She had never turned anyone down before. In fact, it was quite a miracle when she started going out with Harry, he was far more experienced than she was, and took care of things like asking out. All she had to do was love him.

He looked equally nervous. "Hey."

"Well, you've probably been awaiting my answer," Hermione said rather stupidly. Of course he had. "And… well… I have to be honest; I don't really want to be in a relationship right now. I mean, you're the greatest friend I could ask for, but I just don't really think…" she stopped at the look on his face.

"You really love him, don't you?" Neville said in a sad way.

Hermione contemplated saying, "Who?" But she knew it would do no good. They both knew who "him" was.

"I really can't say right now, Neville," she said, giving in. "I'm kind of in a state of confusion."

He looked at her with pity. "Well, you'll never love me like I love you, but I'm always here for you if you need me."

"Thanks, Neville. Really," Hermione said quietly. She kissed him quickly on the cheek, on an impulse, and quickly walked off to the Dungeons for potions.

…………….

In Potions, they were learning about a particularly interesting potion concerning the elimination of body odor. Harry was cheerfully mixing his ingredients when he saw Hermione out of the corner of his eye. She didn't look too upset, so he tried to give her a smile. To his great surprise, she didn't glare at him or frown, but instead half-smiled for a half-second. Harry jumped inwardly. _Maybe there's still a chance,_ he tempted himself.

Harry surveyed the room in a moment of clarity and saw Neville, who looked extremely morose. Harry cocked his head as if to wonder why he looked so sad, when Snape saw him.

"Potter, if you could concentrate on your potion, please," Snape said icily. "I imagine this particular mixture might come in handy for you." He held his nose, and the whole class shook with laughter. Particularly near the Slytherin group. Harry turned bright red and went back to mixing.

…………….

Hermione was about to finish up her potion when she saw Katie and Pavarti whispering excitedly in front of her. Hermione thought nothing of it until Pavarti turned around in her chair.

"Hey, Hermione!" she said, in a falsely cheerful voice.

"Hi," Hermione said cautiously.

Pavarti cleared her throat. "So, how are you doing? I mean it must be really hard. That was so mean of him!" she said in pity.

Hermione looked around nervously. "Well, yeah, but I'm ok now, that was a month ago."

"Oh, no, not that," Pavarti said maliciously. "I mean what happened the other day." Looking at Hermione's face, Pavarti continued. "Oh my, you haven't heard?"

Hermione was really starting to get annoyed.

"Well, this might come as a surprise to you, but the other day, Lavender and Harry were making out right outside the Forbidden Forest," Pavarti said quickly. Hermione looked horrified. "But that's not all! Lavender asked him about Hermione after a while, and do you know what he said?" Pavarti said gravely.

In spite of herself, Hermione leaned forward in her chair, wide-eyed.

Pavarti seemed to enjoy the attention. "Well, he said, 'Hermione who?'"

Hermione gasped. Pavarti nodded solemnly and turned back around in her chair when she saw Snape eyeing her coldly.

Hermione took a deep breath and glanced over at Ron, who was furiously stirring his potion. "Ron, I don't think I can do this anymore," she said in a panic.

"Yeah, uh-huh, well the class is almost over, Herm," Ron said distractedly, though Hermione didn't notice. "Just hang on."

Hermione kept her eyes front, away from Harry, and said, "You're right. I'll be fine." She took another deep breath and waited for the class to end.

_How could he have done that?_ Hermione thought. _Unbelievable! What an awful bastard. Oh how I hate him... _

…………….

As the class let out, Hermione tried her best to be the first out of the classroom, but was thwarted by Harry, who rudely dodged in front of her.

"Watch where you're walking," Hermione said loudly. Some people "oohed."

Harry turned slowly. "What's eating you?"

Hermione was fuming. "Nothing. I'm just nothing to you," she said furiously. She stalked off, Ron following close behind.

"What was that?" He asked out of breath.

"It's about what Pavarti told me in Potions," Hermione said huffily.

"Hm… sounds like gossip. What'd she say?"

Hermione started to walk more slowly. "Well, she said… she said that Harry had been making out with Lavender by the Forbidden Forest, and he said 'Hermione who?' when she asked about me."

Ron stopped short. "Are you kidding me?" Hermione shook her head. Ron sighed and they walked back to the common room, his arm around Hermione's shaking shoulders.

…………….

Harry had just finished his last class and was heading up to the Boys' Dormitories when Ron stopped him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ron began in an accusatory tone.

Harry looked at Ron, shook his head, and began walking again. Ron grabbed the back of his shirt. "I was talking to you."

"I don't even know what you're talking about," Harry said coldly.

"Oh, bullshit," Ron said with a scoff. "I can't believe you even have the gall to make out with Lavender, let alone treat Hermione like dirt."

Harry looked at Ron disbelievingly. "Come on, I never made out with Lavender. Gross. And I've been trying not to think about Hermione too much, thanks."

Ron related the story to Harry, who just kept shaking his head. "I don't know what you're talking about," He said repeatedly.

Ron stared at Harry icily. "How can you lie like that? Honestly, as if it's not bad enough for her."

Harry was frustrated. "You don't even know what you're talking about! If it's bad for anyone, it's bad for me."

"Yeah, right."

"Well, no one believes me for one thing-"

"No, shit, Harry, that's such a dumb story," Ron said sarcastically. "_Oh, no, I'm Harry Potter, I'm famous worldwide, someone hexed me to cheat on my girlfriend, and now everyone hates me. _Boohoo."

Harry started to get really angry. "Look, if all you came here to do was mock me, then you might as well just stop now. But I would never do any of those things you said." Harry turned to his bed in order to control his incessant urge to curse Ron senseless.

"I don't believe you," Ron said simply. "You're disgusting. I don't want to talk to you anymore." Ron walked bitterly back to the Common Room.

Harry sighed and flopped onto his bed. _Why me?_ He thought to himself.

…………….

For the first time in her life, Hermione was really looking forward to her detention. She couldn't wait to tell Draco what had been happening. It sounded weird, even to herself, that she would confide so much in someone considered an enemy for her entire life.

As she approached the greenhouse, she saw Draco with Crabbe and Goyle near the front door to the school. She could tell he wasn't' really enjoying himself. _Ick, he's a smart guy, why does he hang out with those losers?_ Hermione thought. As Draco turned away and the two other boys walked back up to the school, Hermione quickly averted her gaze so he wouldn't think she was gawking at him.

"Hey 'Mione," He said with a hint of a smile as they walked into the greenhouse. She nodded in reply. _Since when does he call me "Mione?"_ Hermione thought curiously. _Only Ron and Harry call me that. OH CRAP… Harry. Here we go._ The next few of Hermione's minutes were spent ceremoniously feeling sorry for herself.

As they were repotting plants, Hermione asked, "So how's you're week been going, Draco?"

He made a face. "It's been alright. Well not totally," He said with a look of resignation. "For one thing, Crabbe and Goyle are really starting to get to me. I think that because I've been sad about Pansy, I've been seeing things a lot clearer lately. Well… the fact of the matter is… they're rather dim. And it's annoying me."

Hermione expertly turned a hearty laugh into a coughing fit. "What else?" She said.

"I've been thinking a lot about what I've done in the past," he said kind of quietly. "And to be completely honest, I was awful to you and Harry and Ron before. And you've just been so… so accepting of me, even though I've done bad things to you in the past. And I'm sorry."

Hermione just looked at him for a minute. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Thank you," she said softly, afraid that her eyes would fill with tears from the overflowing warmth and appreciation she felt. She enveloped Draco in the biggest, fuzziest bear-hug ever. He smiled widely, even though Hermione had gotten dirt all over his red tee shirt.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry," she said hurriedly as she tried to brush some of it off. But he just smiled. She smiled too, apologetically. "Maybe we should've just shook hands," she said giggling. The two of them continued to repot the plants, the smiles never leaving their faces.

At the end of the hour, after they had washed their hands (and their faces, since they had had a fierce dirt war) Draco and Hermione were walking back to the castle. "I'll walk with you to the Gryffindor Common Room," Draco said. Hermione was glad. She had found that she had sincerely enjoyed the last hour.

They were walking up the stairs. "I had a really good time in detention, surprisingly," Hermione said.

"Me too," said Draco as they arrived in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. "Thanks, Hermione," he said sincerely.

He seemed to be debating with himself, and then to Hermione's great surprise, he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She was still trying to grasp what had happened when he was quickly walking back down the stairs.

Hermione turned to face the portrait in a daze. "Ooh, hot stuff!" The Fat Lady hooted.

Hermione gave her a reproving look. "Acapulco," Hermione said, embarrassed. The portrait swung forward and Hermione walked into the Common, which seemed to be awaiting her return.

_**I am thinking it's a sign that the freckles  
In our eyes are mirror images and when  
We kiss they're perfectly aligned  
And I have to speculate that God himself  
Did make us into corresponding shapes like  
Puzzle pieces from the clay  
And true, it may seem like a stretch, but  
Its thoughts like this that catch my troubled  
Head when you're away when I am missing you to death  
When you are out there on the road for  
Several weeks of shows and when you scan  
The radio, I hope this song will guide you home **_

They will see us waving from such great  
Heights, 'come down now,' they'll say  
But everything looks perfect from far away,  
'come down now,' but we'll stay...

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A/N – Yay. I'm so happy, I love this chap. (Above is "Such Great Heights," by The Postal Service if you're wondering.) Sorry if you're not into Draco/Hermione. But I think it's kinda cute. Don't worry; I'll have more twists and turns for you yet. Sorry this one took me so long, I've been really busy lately. It was my birthday yesterday. 3 I love birthdays. Anyhow, please read and review. Much love - **_cm_**


	6. Love and Quidditch

Take Me Back To the Start

**Chapter 6: Love and Quidditch**

_Disclaimer: Well if the keyboard counts…_

P.S. Ok, hi, I only got one review for my last chapter. I am in a severe state of writer's block as a result. Anyhow, if you want the story to continue, please review and say so. Otherwise I'm considering stopping the story. (Well, you know I'd never do that, but I might accidentally have everyone die in a tragic chicken accident if you don't review.) I put a lot of thought into this chapter, so please read with an open mind. Anyhow, keep reading. Comments in . Peace – **_cm_**

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**Reviews**

Lili-potter8907 – Sorry really, but it's the way the story goes. I promise it will get better. Please keep reading, I really want you to finish the story. Thanks a million for reviewing, even if it wasn't necessarily positive. (Besides, this is a Harry/Hermione fic. Don't worry, I'll fix it.)

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_Shit, shit, shit,_ Hermione said to herself as she walked into the Common Room. _He kissed me. Unbelievable. Unbe-bloody-lievable. _As much as she talked to herself, she couldn't deny the fact that she liked it._ Oh shit, what are Ron and Harry going to think?_ She scoffed. _Never mind, I don't have to tell Harry anything._ A nagging voice in her head said that he would probably find out anyhow, seeing as how this would be prime gossip if anyone found out. 

"Hey, Herm, how was detention?" Ron said nonchalantly from a cozy chair by the fire, hidden from her view, reading a book.

"Oh, Ron! Heh, didn't see you there," Hermione said uneasily, caught completely off-guard. "It was preat! …I mean gerfect! Erm… it was fine." She finished clumsily.

Ron gave her a quizzical look and put down what he was reading. "Something's up with you, what is it?" He asked.

"Ok, well, it's kind of… well, I don't know, odd," She said nervously. How the hell was she supposed to tell her best friend that she had just kissed their worst enemy? "Well, actually, why don't I just ask you a few questions first? Um, Ron, what are your feelings about Malfoy?"

Now Ron was caught off guard. "Well, he seems to have changed a bit, but I still think he's annoying. Why?"

"Well, I… hm. How do I say this…? I…" Hermione faltered.

"Hermione… did you…" Ron began. "Did you… kiss him?" He asked, as though the words left a rancid taste in his mouth.

Hermione sighed dramatically and flopped unceremoniously onto stray pillow on the floor. She didn't really need to say anything. For a minute, Ron just sat there, turned in his chair, looking at her.

"Wow. That's… interesting," He said, confused, as he turned around in his chair to face the fire. For a while he just sat there and stared fixedly into the flames.

Hermione dragged herself up off the pouf and sat cross-legged next to Ron's chair, her head leaning against the arm of the chair. "Oh, Ron, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, really, he started it, we were standing right next to the Fat Lady's portrait and-"

Ron covered her mouth with his hand. "Spare me the gory details, eh? Anyhow, it doesn't matter if I like it or not. Are you happy?" He asked, turning his head toward her.

She smiled in a guilty way. "Yeah," she said bashfully.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Well I guess that's all that matters. Doesn't mean he's not still a git… Has he asked you out or anything?"

Hermione sat up straighter. "Actually, no. He just… kissed me."

"Sounds fishy," Ron said, eyebrows raised. Hermione just laughed and ruffled his hair as she got up.

"I'm going to bed, Ronald," She said happily. Ron just shook his head as she giggled and skipped off to the girl's dormitories.

Ron closed up his books, and began to walk back up to his room as the fire slowly dimmed. As he walked up the stairs, he could've sworn he saw something move in the shadows. _I must be really tired,_ he thought to himself, and commenced returning to his dormitory.

…………….

Harry woke up after a fitful sleep. His dream was awful.

He had been walking through the corridors in Hogwarts, in a daze. But really it was more like floating. He felt as though he was a video camera, only watching things happening, not being able to react or do anything. He saw all the awful sides of life at Hogwarts. He saw people pining after love lost, small first years being mercilessly bullied by the older kids. Suddenly his dream morphed. It seemed as though he was inside the Fat Lady's portrait. (He tried not to imagine himself as the Fat Lady.) He was watching two people… Hermione and Draco, as he realized after a few moments. Draco leaned forward and… _No, _Harry thought. _It can't be…_ and he kissed her. Harry was about to scream when Malfoy disappeared, and everything in the dream turned a violent shade of red, leaving Dream-Hermione and Harry quite confused. But then he woke up, only to find that he had ten minutes to get ready and shower.

He was walking into the Great Hall when he realized that an uneasy silence as he arrived. He took a cautionary look around, and saw that Ron and Hermione were exchanging nervous looks. Hermione then scanned the other side of the room, and her eyes settled on the Slytherin table. Harry tried to follow her gaze, but he had no wish to stay standing there any longer, so he went to sit down and his end of the table with Ginny and Luna.

"Guys, what's going on?" Harry whispered to Ginny and Luna. Ginny shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with you," Luna said observantly.

Harry gave a heartless laugh. "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised." Soon the normal sounds of talking and clanging silverware resumed, and the three of them began their breakfast.

Harry glanced at his schedule. He half-smiled to see that today wouldn't be so bad: Care of Magical Creatures, double Defense of the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and Charms. And as an added bonus, Quidditch practice was today. Harry was obviously the captain.

He talked with Ginny about the new team members, Dennis and Colin Creevey. They had become beaters. And, surprisingly, they weren't too bad.

"They're nothing like Fred and George," Harry retorted. "But did you see them at the game versus Ravenclaw? Fantastic."

Ginny nodded in agreement. "I'm glad I haven't inherited Ron's keeping skills though," she said. "I'm so excited to be a Keeper. Don't get me wrong, it was fun being a Seeker in my fourth year, but I've always wanted to be a Keeper."

Harry smiled. He was secretly very jealous of Ginny for taking his spot in his fifth year. "Yeah, but what d'you reckon we're going to do about Chasers, though? I mean, we still need one more to even out the team." They previously had Pavarti Patil, but she had recently dropped the team for "academic reasons." But everyone suspected her boyfriend, Ernie Macmillan, who was Ravenclaw's keeper, had pressured her to drop. They were having emergency tryouts.

"I suppose we'll have to find out tonight," Ginny said while buttering her toast.

…………….

Somehow, the news about Hermione kissing Draco Malfoy was all over the school. Ron and Hermione had no idea who could've possibly found out, but Hermione wasn't too happy about it.

Hermione had been holding her breath the entire day, just waiting for Harry to find out. She kept imagining him jumping out of his seat and yelling at her in front of everyone. But, to her great surprise and happiness, everyone seemed to know but him.

Admittedly, it was no bed of roses. She had gotten her share of dirty looks throughout the day. Particularly from Pansy Parkinson, but Hermione couldn't understand that, seeing as how she had cheated on Draco to begin with. Ron had done a very nice job of fighting off a couple of nasty Slytherins who weren't too happy about Draco kissing a mudblood.

On her way to her last class, Charms, Hermione was feeling pretty good, all things considered. Her only qualms were that the class was with Slytherin, and she didn't really feel like getting threatened by Blaise Zabini again. She was slightly nervous about a class with Draco, though.

_What if he ignores me in front of his friends? _She thought fretfully. _Well, come to think of it, I don't necessarily want him making a big deal out of it either. Oh, god, what is to become of me?_

She entered the classroom and sat down with Ron, a wee bit closer to the Slytherins, Ron noticed. Little Professor Flitwick got up on his stool and told the class about the lesson.

"We're going to be learning a Closing Spell," the professor said. Judging by the confused faces, they didn't understand. "You know," he continued. "Closing doors, books, that sort of thing. Now, watch me carefully now." Professor Flitwick brandished his wand and made a flipping motion with it. "Now you can practice that movement." The class collectively started flopping their wands around.

The professor began again. "The incantation is, 'Colaphora.' Now remember, the emphasis is on the _oh_ part of the word. Try saying it." The class did.

"Excellent. I'm now going to put you in partners to practice the spell," Flitwick said cheerily.

"Oh, can't we choose our own partners, Professor?" Lavender whined from the back of the room. Hermione felt a familiar anger rise in her throat.

Flitwick seemed reluctant at first. "Very well," he said with resignation. "You may find a partner of your choice." Hermione's heart leapt. This was her chance to be with Draco. But suddenly, insecurities leapt to her mind. _What will I say? I can't just play it off like we didn't snog in front of the Fat Lady last night,_ she thought nervously. Up until that point, she had been dead serious, but at the thought she almost laughed out loud. It was just so weird.

Amidst her thinking, she didn't realize the tall figure standing next to her. It said, "Hey, do you want to be my partner?"

Hermione looked up into Draco's angular face. She smiled and nodded. "Let's go over here, in the corner," she said, a bit nervously. As they walked over to a different table, Hermione could've sworn that she saw Ron giving her a wink from across the room.

On each table there was a small miniature door, apparently to be used to practice the spell. They chose to ignore it. Draco cleared his throat. "So, how's your day been going?"

"Well, it's been alright, but people just won't leave me alone, you know?" Hermione replied.

Draco sort of chuckled. "Yeah, actually I do know. You've got no clue what some of the guys have been saying. Hell, I might've lost a lot of friends today. But… it was totally worth it," he said with a genuine smile as he squeezed Hermione's hand under the table. She was smiling too. The entire day was just slipping away.

"Come now, start practicing the spell!" Professor Flitwick yelled over to the pair, who jumped at the interruption. Hermione and Draco laughed nervously and looked away as they reached for their wands.

…………….

Harry was grimly trying to practice the spell with little success. He was being horribly distracted by the scene on the other side of the room. He watched as Hermione practiced the spell, as Draco looked on and smiled. _Why isn't he smirking? _Harry thought angrily. In his frustration, Harry accidentally jabbed his partner, Neville, in the nose.

"OUCH!" Neville said loudly, holding his nose.

Harry snapped back into reality. "Oh, sorry, Neville."

"It's fide, Harry, don' worry," Neville said unconvincingly, his nose now spewing forth blood.

Professor Sprout quickly bustled over. "Well, for goodness' sake! Harry, please escort Neville here to the Hospital Wing," he said sourly.

"Yes, Professor, Harry said. Sprout ran over to another pair, where a partner had managed to permanently close the other's eyes with the spell. Harry briefly heard Professor Sprout saying something like, "Never had trouble like this with a _closing_ charm…"

Harry held Neville by the elbow and led him out the door. As he left, Harry desperately glanced back at Hermione and Draco, trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

…………….

After the class had ended, Hermione and Draco lagged behind on purpose. When they were assured that Professor Sprout was busy grading essays, they relaxed.

"That was…awkward," Hermione said quietly. Draco smirked in the way he always used to.

"Yeah, but at least I was with you," He said softly. Hermione practically melted. _Since when did Draco Malfoy become so darn romantic?_ She thought.

Hermione sighed. "Well, I should probably get going to dinner… I'll see you later, alright?"

"Okay," Draco said, and quickly pecked her on the cheek before leaving.

Hermione practically pranced out of the room, to find that Ron was waiting for her. He raised his eyebrows in question.

"He kissed me on the cheek," she said squeakily as they set off for the Great Hall.

Ron made a disgusted noise. "You're such a girl…"

…………….

The Gryffindor Common was bustling with activity, as it usually was after dinner. Ginny and Luna had escaped to their dormitories to talk.

"I'm so excited for the Chaser tryouts tonight," Ginny was telling Luna as she put on extra layers to face the 20 degree (Fahrenheit) weather.

Luna nodded uninterestedly. "Do you know who's trying out?" she asked, almost to humor Ginny.

"Well, I know that Vicky Frobisher is trying, and I heard that Euan Abercrombie might show up, but I'm not too sure," Ginny said animatedly.

Luna got sort of quiet. A weird idea had suddenly appeared in her mind. "Wouldn't it be odd," she said quietly to Ginny. "if Hermione showed up?"

Ginny practically died laughing. "Please," she said after a fit of giggles. "Hermione? You probably couldn't get her on a Quidditch pitch for a million galleons."

…………….

Harry approached the pitch with mild anxiousness. He worried about the people trying out for Chaser. After being captain of the team for a few years, Harry found it increasingly difficult to find new players, since everyone brave enough to try out wasn't that spectacular, and most of the first-years with potential were too shy.

He saw four figures standing at the edge of the pitch waiting, and about 15 people up in the stands. _Bloody hell, only four people?_ Harry thought desperately. _Well at least it won't be too difficult to choose._ As he got closer, Harry saw that two of the people present were Vicky Frobisher and Euan Abercrombie, which Harry had already been expecting. But then he noticed that on Euan's left was none other than Neville Longbottom. Harry began to laugh, but stopped immediately when he saw, that next to Neville was-

"Hermione?" Harry said incredulously. He surprised himself by saying her name. _It feels to weird after not saying it for so long_, he thought. Hermione gave a stiff sort of nod.

Harry could hardly believe his eyes, and yet she was standing right in front of him with a school broom in hand. Hermione was the last person he'd have ever expected to show up. _Oh, god, she'll totally kill me if I don't pick her,_ Harry thought nervously. _On the other hand, if I do pick her then practices will be so bloody awkward…_

Harry cleared his throat. "Well, er, thanks for coming, everyone," he began uncomfortably. "Ginny's going to guard the goals, and, well, you guys can just fire away, alright?"

Harry tried to keep his voice under control, and act like 50 pounds were just added to his shoulders as he walked over to release the quaffle. He gave Ginny a thumbs-up, and she flew over to defend goalposts. Harry heard the people cheering in the stands, but his undivided attention was on the first possible beater, Vicky Frobisher, as he blew the whistle.

…………….

Harry blew his whistle one final time. "Ok, everyone, great job, come back down now!" he yelled up to the four people zooming above him. "Great job Ginny, thanks," Harry said in the direction of the goals.

As Vicky, Euan, Neville, and Hermione descended, Harry braced himself in preparation for what he knew he had to do. Neville, Vicky, and Euan had a terrible nervousness on their face, but Hermione looked straight at Harry with a vindictive look, as though she could see what was coming next.

"You all played beautifully," Harry began. "Especially you, Neville, that was a great pass during the last few minutes." Neville smiled bashfully. "However, I can only take one of you. Vicky, Euan, I'm sorry, but you're just not what the team's looking for." The two third-years stomped off to the stands disappointedly.

Harry took a deep breath and turned to face the only two left, Neville and Hermione. "Now, you both were excellent on the pitch, but… Neville, I'm sorry, Hermione out-flew you. Sorry." Neville looked sort of like he had seen it coming, and walked back to the stands. Harry found himself at an awkward moment. It briefly crossed his mind that everyone in the stands would be whispering to each other when they saw that he had picked Hermione.

There was an odd silence. Harry finally cleared his throat. "Right then… congratulations, practice on Saturday." As quickly as possible, he walked off the pitch, leaving behind a triumphant, yet slightly disappointed, Hermione.

…………….

Hermione stood and watched Harry walk, almost hurriedly, to the changing rooms. She was numb from the cold, the shock.

Almost at once, Ron appeared next to her, with the same excited and curious face that she was wearing. He didn't say anything.

Ginny bounded up behind the two, breaking the trance. "Awesome job, Hermione, you'll be a great addition to the team."

Hermione almost instantly snapped back to reality, almost forgetting what she had just accomplished. "Oh, thanks, Gin," she said cheerily. "Yeah, it'll be great." To Hermione's relief, Ginny ran ahead.

"It isn't really great, is it?" Ron said knowingly.

Hermione sighed, and started off for the changing rooms, Ron right behind. "Well I didn't really intend for him to pick me. I don't even know why I tried out. Goodness, it's going to be so… uncomfortable."

Ron nodded in agreement. "But hey, think of it this way: now you won't have to sit in the common room at night stewing," he said with a smirk. Hermione was giving him a don't-push-it,-mister-look, when a thought occurred to her.

"Wait a minute," she said, stopping in her tracks. "If I have detention, then how will I be able to go to night practices?"

Ron seemed to think about it for a minute, too. "I think the only option is to talk to Harry about it," he said resignedly. He knew she didn't want to talk to Harry anymore than absolutely necessary.

"You're probably right," Hermione said. "Well, I've got to change, I'll see you at dinner." Ron nodded in agreement, and they both turned to their separate paths.

…………….

Hermione felt light, but in a nervous way. She couldn't believe what she had just done. Her left brain and right brain were arguing fiercely.

_Why on earth did I do that?_

Maybe to seek revenge.

_Maybe it was fate._

Maybe you need to come back to earth. It's just Quidditch.

_But Harry's the captain; I won't be able to concentrate._

Since when does he affect you, huh?

_Well, I…_

Exactly.

_Shut up._

**(I don't know, I needed a bipolar-Hermione-moment.)**

Just as Hermione began the path back to the castle (it seemed far longer than usual), Lavender appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, right next to her. Hermione tried to walk faster.

"Everyone knows you only kissed Draco for the attention, he doesn't really like you," Lavender said in a taunting voice, still right behind Hermione.

Hermione walked faster and drew her wand.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you lecturing _me _on respect and dignity two weeks ago?"

Hermione clenched her fists and kept her eyes forward.

"Who's the slut now?"

Hermione was now struggling difficultly with her anger.

"Oh, yeah, and if you're wondering, I was the one who told everyone about it too. Oops, I'm sorry; did you not want that to get around?"

Hermione stopped, took a deep breath, and turned with her wand out and fired a spell. Before Lavender could say "bad hair day," her hair was on fire.

Lavender, at a complete loss as to what to do, ran around in circles shrieking for the thirty seconds that Hermione cared to watch. Hermione smirked a bit, and quickly ran up to the castle.

As Hermione approached the Common Room, she briefly remembered what Dumbledore had said before. _"Oh, and Hermione? If you ever happen to come across Lavender in an empty hallway, I wouldn't mind if you did ruffle her up a bit." _Hermione fretted for a moment at the possibility that someone had been watching from the front windows of the castle and had seen her, but the thought was gone in an instant as the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open.

Hermione was just stepping into the room when she heard Harry's voice, and all her feelings of glory and victory vanished in a moment.

"SHE KISSED _WHO?_"

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A/N: Haha … cliffhanger. Hope you enjoyed this, I made it extra long. Another chapter _hopefully_ coming soon, I'm pretty busy lately. But please do review, you really don't want me to kill them all off, now do you? Hope this finds you well- heart**_cm_**


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